OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bourne Select Board Meeting - January 27, 2026

Select Board — Tuesday, January 27, 2026
BodyBourne, Massachusetts
SessionSelect Board
DateTuesday, January 27, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:34:21

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

All right, being 6 p.m.

0:04

Note this meeting is being televised, streamed, or recorded by Bourne TV.

0:08

If anyone in the audience is recording or videotaping, they need to acknowledge such at this time.

0:15

I see.

0:19

I am audio recording.

0:21

Thank you, sir.

0:22

I see Helen as well from Bourne Enterprise.

0:26

Yes.

0:27

Okay, thank you.

0:28

Please refrain from using flash photography.

0:31

If anyone from the public wishes to access the meeting, they may do so by calling the following conference line.

0:38

1929, 205, 6099, Zoom meeting ID 897 1229, 3538, password, all caps born.

0:53

The Zoom chat will not be monitored.

0:55

Participants who wish to speak must raise the hand icon until the chair asks them to unmute.

1:00

All items within the meeting agenda are subject to deliberation in vote at 6 p.m.

1:06

Um we're gonna we're having a joint meeting with the rec committee.

1:09

They are coming through the room, and uh should I let them start their meeting first?

1:14

They need to open they need to open their meeting or is it still open?

1:19

You adjourned.

1:21

They can reopen their let them do that before we move on to this moment of silence.

1:27

Come in.

1:27

Once you're all here, sure.

1:54

Come on, no worries, no hurry.

1:56

Everybody's everybody's heading in.

1:57

We know you had another meeting going.

1:59

So everyone, no, I see Lori Gilbert's not in the meeting.

2:16

Oh, there they are.

2:16

Okay.

2:17

Yeah.

2:18

All right.

2:20

So we will start with a moment of silence to recognize our troops and public safety personnel.

2:30

Salute to the flag.

2:39

One nation.

2:43

Thank you.

2:46

Okay.

2:47

Moving right along.

2:49

So we have a discussion.

2:50

Uh next on the agenda is a discussion with the Mass DOT Bridges team.

2:55

And uh this tonight's agenda is strictly related to the Keith Field mitigation.

3:00

So we're going to keep the comments and discussion related to that.

3:04

Um to that situation.

3:06

So I'm assuming our presenter will come on up and cannaday from Mastot.

3:13

Okay, Ian.

3:14

I'll let you introduce yourself at the mic so the people at home can hear you.

3:17

Thank you very much.

3:18

Hello, my name is Ann Kennedy.

3:19

I'm with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

3:22

I'm here with two of my colleagues from the Cape Clock Bridge Design Team, Dave Anderson and Mark Kolonoscopy at Kolanowski, excuse me, and um Jackie Goodard.

3:32

Thank you very much.

3:33

Thank you.

3:34

And yes, today we just want to discuss um some components of uh purpose for our meeting session today.

3:40

We'll go for some updates and we'd like to present proposed use of the heat field recreation area.

3:47

And we also plan it's very very difficult.

3:51

Oh, okay.

3:52

Apologies for that.

3:53

Uh at the rec committee.

3:55

If you want to come up and table with us, it might be easier.

3:57

We're welcome to have you if some of you rather want to hear better at the 20 seats.

4:04

Speak to speak a little louder, that's all.

4:06

Understood.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████████24%
Procedural██████████10%
Parks and Recreation██████████10%
Fiscal Sustainability██████████10%
Transportation Safety██████6%
Land Use Planning██████6%
Environmental Protection██████6%
Budget Capital Planning██████6%
Active Transportation████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Bourne Select Board Meeting - January 27, 2026

The Bourne Select Board held a joint meeting with the Recreation Committee at 6 p.m., followed by regular board business. Discussions focused on the Sagamore Bridge project's impacts on Keith Field, a proposed land transfer for a former fire station, an Eversource utility pole hearing, aquaculture license renewals, the Scenic Highway median project, an Enbridge gas pipeline relocation requiring Article 97 land, waterways regulations, and the FY27 budget. Several unanimous votes were taken.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Michael Race of Monument Beach urged MassDOT and the town to plan and design conversion of the F2 rail corridor into a rail-to-trail extension of the Shining Sea Bikeway, citing regional agreement between Bourne and Falmouth, economic benefits, and resilience during bridge construction. He acknowledged that expanded rail service is constrained by the single aging canal railroad bridge.

Discussion: Keith Field Recreation Area Mitigation

  • MassDOT Bridges team (Ann Kennedy, Dave Anderson, Mark Kolanowski, Jackie Goodard) presented updates: revised preliminary Sagamore Bridge designs under review, design-build procurement documents to be released in spring 2026, final EIR expected April 2026, and combined final EIS/Record of Decision in June 2026.
  • They proposed using about 0.4 acres of Keith Field for a bicycle/pedestrian path connecting Sandwich Road to the canal service road and for utility/road improvements. Mitigation includes a new surface parking lot on the south side of Sandwich Road (requiring taking land from Canal View Apartments) and a flashing-beacon crosswalk.
  • Recreation Committee members and residents expressed strong safety concerns about children crossing Sandwich Road, citing a recent accident that injured a police officer. They argued a flashing beacon is insufficient and asked for alternatives such as an overpass, parking on the same side, or adjusting the railroad siding. Bill McCoosh of Bourne Baseball worried about losing future batting cage space. John York criticized MassDOT for not coordinating internally with MassRail and called HAWK signals dangerous.
  • Several board members requested more time to review plans and alternatives, emphasizing that safety and common sense should guide the design. No vote was taken.

Discussion: Former Fire Station Parcel Transfer

  • MassDOT requested transfer of the town-owned vacant lot (former fire station, Map 11 parcel 25) for construction and maintenance of new ramps and bicycle/pedestrian paths at the Sagamore Bridge.
  • Select board members asked about process, possible eminent domain, and town meeting approval. Town Administrator Marlene noted the process would involve MassDOT's right-of-way bureau and likely require town meeting action. No vote was taken.

Public Hearings and Votes

  • Utility Pole Hearing (Barlow's Landing Road): Eversource petitioned for a new joint pole. No public comments. The board closed the hearing and unanimously approved the petition (5-0).
  • Aquaculture License Renewals: Hannah Lawrence (DNR) recommended renewing five licenses for two years (2026-2027) for Patrick Ross, Bruce Silverbrand, Dan Maurice, James Rosignal, Rod Taylor, and Lincoln Allen. The board voted unanimously to approve (5-0).

Discussion: Scenic Highway Median Project

  • MassDOT District 5 (Mike Zuzovich) and HNTB's Brett Fiacki updated the board on construction progress, including signage, erosion controls, clearing, and temporary barriers. The project includes a raised concrete median, horizontal curve corrections, stormwater swales, and a shared-use path on the south side from Nightingale Pond Road to Edge Hill Road.
  • Concerns raised: MJ (select board) asked about archaeological sensitivity near Herring Pond Wampanoag tribal lands and oversight of digging; Peter suggested lowering the speed limit and adding signage; John York criticized the design exception for no north-side sidewalk, making it difficult to reach Bourndale Elementary School without crossing the highway. No vote was taken.

Discussion: Enbridge Gas Pipeline and Article 97 Land

  • Enbridge (James Kingley, Nancy Kist) presented a plan to relocate gas pipelines due to bridge replacements, using existing Eversource corridors with temporary and permanent easements on three Article 97 parcels. They proposed deeding 2.76 acres from a Serenti Brothers property to the town as replacement land, plus a monetary payment.
  • Conservation Commission was expected to vote on February 5; Enbridge hoped for a board vote by February 12.
  • Board members MJ and Peter asked process questions and deferred to the Conservation Commission. Melissa (select board) stressed that the land is sacred to the Herring Pond Wampanoag tribe and cannot be valued solely in monetary terms. No vote was taken.

First Reading: Waterways and Marina Regulations

  • Hannah Lawrence presented changes to waterways and marina regulations. Board discussed fee increases, operational changes, and insurance requirements. A motion to submit the regulations to Town Council for review and schedule a second reading passed unanimously (5-0).

Waterways Fund Capital Request

  • DNR and the Harbor Committee requested $250,000 for annual dredging, ramp, and pier repair/maintenance. Discussion included ongoing dredging at Hen Cove, future Taylor Point dredging, and Barlow's Landing ramp repairs. No vote was taken; it was a recommendation for the capital plan.

FY27 Budget Discussion and Vote

  • Town Administrator Marlene presented budget updates: Barnstable County dispatch fee increase creates a $70,125 shortfall; draft cherry sheet proposal would create approximately a $350,000 deficit due to increases in retired teachers' health insurance, school choice costs, and charter school tuition. She noted a net increase of 23 students from Bourne attending Upper Cape Tech.
  • Board debated whether to transmit a balanced or unbalanced budget. A motion to send the budget to the Finance Committee with the updated county dispatch line item ($296,798) and identified shortfall, but without cherry sheet adjustments, passed unanimously (5-0).

Other Reports and Next Steps

  • Town Administrator report: Bob Gray received the 2025 Outstanding Public Service Award from the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions; an interim building commissioner was being contracted; Tim Leiden would appear on February 10 regarding the betterment petition for Tara Terrace and Eldridge.
  • Southside Fire Station Committee reported presentations to the ZBA and Planning Board.
  • Meeting dates announced: next meetings February 3 and February 10, with Vice Chair Samunian possibly chairing on February 10.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimous approval of the Eversource utility pole petition (5-0).
  • Unanimous approval of aquaculture license renewals (5-0).
  • Unanimous motion to send waterways/marina regulations to Town Council (5-0).
  • Unanimous motion to transmit the FY27 budget to the Finance Committee with the county dispatch increase and noted shortfall (5-0).
  • No votes were taken on Keith Field mitigation, the fire station parcel transfer, the Scenic Highway median project, or the Enbridge Article 97 proposal.

Meeting Transcript

All right, being 6 p.m. Note this meeting is being televised, streamed, or recorded by Bourne TV. If anyone in the audience is recording or videotaping, they need to acknowledge such at this time. I see. I am audio recording. Thank you, sir. I see Helen as well from Bourne Enterprise. Yes. Okay, thank you. Please refrain from using flash photography. If anyone from the public wishes to access the meeting, they may do so by calling the following conference line. 1929, 205, 6099, Zoom meeting ID 897 1229, 3538, password, all caps born. The Zoom chat will not be monitored. Participants who wish to speak must raise the hand icon until the chair asks them to unmute. All items within the meeting agenda are subject to deliberation in vote at 6 p.m. Um we're gonna we're having a joint meeting with the rec committee. They are coming through the room, and uh should I let them start their meeting first? They need to open they need to open their meeting or is it still open? You adjourned. They can reopen their let them do that before we move on to this moment of silence. Come in. Once you're all here, sure. Come on, no worries, no hurry. Everybody's everybody's heading in. We know you had another meeting going. So everyone, no, I see Lori Gilbert's not in the meeting. Oh, there they are. Okay. Yeah. All right. So we will start with a moment of silence to recognize our troops and public safety personnel. Salute to the flag. One nation. Thank you. Okay. Moving right along. So we have a discussion. Uh next on the agenda is a discussion with the Mass DOT Bridges team. And uh this tonight's agenda is strictly related to the Keith Field mitigation. So we're going to keep the comments and discussion related to that. Um to that situation. So I'm assuming our presenter will come on up and cannaday from Mastot. Okay, Ian. I'll let you introduce yourself at the mic so the people at home can hear you. Thank you very much. Hello, my name is Ann Kennedy. I'm with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. I'm here with two of my colleagues from the Cape Clock Bridge Design Team, Dave Anderson and Mark Kolonoscopy at Kolanowski, excuse me, and um Jackie Goodard. Thank you very much. Thank you.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com